Facility-scale quantification and monitoring of ammonia (NH₃) emissions using ASTER multispectral thermal infrared observations

11 November 2026

Ammonia is an air pollutant that affects human health, ecosystems, and climate, but satellite measurements usually cannot identify emissions from individual facilities. The authors show that high-resolution thermal infrared images can detect ammonia plumes at a much finer scale than existing satellites. This enables clearer identification of industrial sources and provides new opportunities for improved emission estimates and the design of future satellite missions.

Please also note the authors' video summary on YouTube.

Contact: Lidewij B. Tijhuis (lidewij.tijhuis@tno.nl)